Howalon, And Other Endeavors
by PrincessMikanXPrinceNatsume
Summary: "I wanted you to kiss me okay? Is that really so much of a crime!" He smiled devilishly and leaned his forehead against her's. Her eyes widened as his breath tickled her nose and her cheeks. "If it is, it's a crime I'm willing to commit." He murmured, staring into her eyes as he lifted his hand up to brush her hair. "Mikan," He whispered. "I love you."
1. Mikan: You Taste Like Howalon

Mikan

"Mikan?" She yawned, looking up, her eyes soft and kind. And there, directly in front of her face, was a pair of crimson flames. Rather, crimson eyes. She yawned again and rubbed her eyes sleepily.

"Hi Natsume," She smiled. "What's up?" She asked, seemingly more awake than before. He handed her a piece of paper and as usual, she thought nothing of it, stating the obvious.

"Huh? A piece of paper?" She began to open it but Natsume stopped her, placing his hand gently over her's. She looked up at him and stared deep into his eyes. Did they seem… kinder?

"Are you sick?" She asked, reaching up to touch his forehead. His eyebrows creased but his smile didn't falter.

"What do you mean, Mikan?" He asked, his hand never leaving her's.

"You're being rather kind I guess." She shrugged and looked down at his hand, covering both her own and the small piece of paper she held securely in her grasp. He gave a short laugh and took his hand away, leaning back in his seat.

"Don't open that until class is over, okay? And stop sleeping. I know it's free study but you can't keep dozing off, you'll get bad grades and loose all your stars." He said, resting his arms comfortably behind his head and putting his feet up on the tabletop, his eyes flickering shut.

"And you're telling me I shouldn't sleep during class." She mumbled.

After class, Natsume had all but disappeared. And that seemed to stir something deep inside Mikan's heart, although she pushed it aside. She dug around in her skirt pocket and pulled out the scrap piece of paper that Natsume had given her as soon as she'd shut her door behind her. She sat down on her bed and stared dumbfounded at the small folded piece of paper and realized that she was hesitant to open it.

But her hands did the job without any sign from her brain, carefully opening what she was somewhat afraid to open. She stared at it, blinked, and then read it again. It certainly was Natsume's handwriting, that, she had no difficulty figuring out. But what was written seemed to shock her; it knocked on her heart several times as she read it over and over.

'Mikan, I need to tell you something. Meet me underneath our tree tomorrow night after dinner ~ Natsume'

She flopped back onto her bed, holding the paper high above her, letting it hit the light coming in through her bedroom window. If there was one thing she was certain of, it was that he had such delicate handwriting.

"It kind of pisses me off that he has better handwriting than me." She mumbled to no one in particular.

"I guess I'll have to go." She murmured. She rolled over and curled up into a ball, letting the piece of paper sit neatly on her pillow. Catching a glimpse of her watch, she squealed.

"I'm gonna be late for dinner!"

Puffing, Mikan collapsed into her seat in the dining hall. Hotaru eyed her curiously as she looked up and smiled, her breathing gradually becoming slower.

"What's up with you, you're never late for dinner. Did something happen that I should know about?" Hotaru asked, picking up a bit of bread and taking a big bite out of it, her eyes never leaving Mikan's. Mikan felt her eyebrow twitch, something she did when she was trying to keep a secret, and she wanted to slap herself.

"I was sleeping. My alarm woke me." It seemed plausible in her case. She did tend to sleep a lot. Hotaru kept staring at her until she'd finished her bread.

"Okay then, if you say so." She murmured, her attention wavering from Mikan and landing on Ruka. Mikan giggled to herself and began to eat her own dinner. But she found that, surprisingly, she'd lost her appetite somewhere. She managed to finish half of her bread for the sake of it, but her stomach seemed to be filled to the brim with butterflies.

'I don't get it, why am I so nervous? It's not like he's going to propose to me or anything. He probably just wants to borrow some homework. But then why wouldn't he just barge into my room and take it like he normally does!?'

Currently, a war had enraged in Mikan's head. One she gave up on with a sigh, her eyes darting around the room. Everyone was talking, no one would notice if she slipped out early.

Wrapping a black cardigan she'd taken from her closet tightly around her, Mikan made her way out onto the balcony of her room. Her mind roamed to Natsume as it often did and she closed her eyes, leaning against the banister as she inhaled the cold night air around her. Opening her eyes, she looked up at the stars.

"I want him to kiss me." She said aloud. Her face flew up in flames and she gasped as if realizing it for the first time. Her hands automatically went to her mouth and then they retreated back to the banister.

"I need to sleep." She whispered to herself, looking back up at the stars once more before going back inside, closing the sliding door and locking it. She closed her curtains, got into her nightgown and slipped under her covers. She closed her eyes and gripped the note that still lay on her pillow, sighing.

"I love you, Natsume."

When she opened her eyes the next morning, her curtains were open and sunlight was pouring in and pooling on the wooden floorboards. She sat up, staring at the glass windows.

"Didn't I close those last night?" She said.

"I opened them." She turned her head towards her doorway. Hotaru stood there, holding her horse hoof glove.

"Get up or I'll hit you."

"Okay, I'm up, I'm up." Mikan said, raising her hands defensively as she stood up. She walked over to her dresser and crouched down, opening the bottom draw. She took out her uniform and stood up again.

"I'll see you at breakfast." Hotaru said, closing the door.

"Okay." Mikan said to her empty room.

She pulled on her uniform and walked over to her vanity table, sitting down on her chair. She watched herself in the mirror as she brushed her hair and tied it up into two pigtails as she did every morning. She still had a slight blush as she made her way downstairs and entered the dining hall. She took her seat next to Hotaru and stared at her cocoa puffs. There was no sugar much to her dismay. She looked around the table and zoned in on the pot of sugar sitting across the table from her. She followed her eyes up to the figure scooping up a packed teaspoon of sugar and just stared. Shaking herself out of her daze, she opened her mouth. It wasn't as if she'd never talked to him.

"Natsume, can you pass the sugar?" She asked. Good, her voice was relatively smooth. He looked up and nodded.

"Sure." He grabbed the pot of sugar and reached over the table to give it to her. Their hands brushed and Mikan jumped, dropping the pot of sugar, scattering the little white specs all over the table. Natsume caught the pot, tipping it upright, trying to save whatever sugar was left in the bottom of it. He stood up and declared that he was getting the brush and dustpan. Mikan jumped up.

"You sit down I'll get it."

"I'll get it,"

"I'll get it!" Their eyes met and Natsume sighed. "Suit yourself." He sat back down and watched her retreat. She could feel everyone's eyes on her as she ran from the dining hall.

'Good job me' She chastised herself. Heading for the store room, she felt tears stinging in the back of her eyes.

Breakfast had finally finished and everyone was currently heading to class. Mikan hung back behind everyone and her eyes grew wide when she heard a pair of footsteps slow to match her own. She looked up to find Ruka walking beside her and smiling down at her gently.

"Hey Ruka-pyon." She smiled back weakly out of kindness and then kept her gaze on the hallway in front of her.

"You seem depressed. Did you fight with Natsume?" He asked. Did he sound sort of… Hopeful?

Mikan shook her head immediately and intertwined her fingers. She looked down at her hands.

"I'm fine."

"No you're not."

"Ruka-pyon, I'm fine."

"No you're not."

"Ruka-pyon!"

"Ruka, leave her alone. She said she was fine, just leave it." Mikan's head shot up. Natsume stood in front of them, his hands in his pockets, watching Ruka intensely. Ruka looked between Natsume and Mikan and then walked forwards to join Natsume.

"Okay, let's go." Natsume looked at Mikan once more as her head fell and she trailed behind them and into the classroom.

Taking her seat at the back of the class beside Natsume and Ruka, Mikan buried her face in her hands and let out a sigh. This was going to be one long lesson.

Finally, class had long since finished and dinner had finished as well rather recently. Pacing up and down the floorboards of her room, Mikan fought a war in her head once again.

'Should I go? Is he even going to be there? What if I turn up and he's not there! But he said he would be…. He wouldn't break a promise right? Although, it's not like he did promise, he just said so.' She looked longingly out her glass sliding door panel and sighed.

'I have to go.'

Opening her closet, she dug around in the back and pulled out light blue dress. On her, it hung down to about her knees and it was sleeveless, bearing just a string halter instead.

"Am I trying too hard?" She said aloud, taking her hair out of their pigtails and combing it out nicely after she'd put on the dress. She looked at herself in her vanity table mirror and smiled. She grabbed the same black cardigan she'd worn last night from the back of her chair and slipped her arms into it. She left it unbuttoned and quietly made her way down the stairs of the high school dorms. Pushing open the doors, a strong gust of wind hit her in the face and she shivered as she made her way down the campus and out into the elementary branch gardens. Approaching the tree, she could see Natsume's figure sitting in one of the highest branches and she sat down underneath the branches, the Sakura flowers adorning the space above her head. She didn't look up, she just stared straight in front of her until the silence surrounding them started to bug her.

"Why did you call me out here?" She asked.

"Well you must have some idea, you dressed up."

"I was already wearing this." She said plainly. She didn't know why she was lying, but she was. She heard the branches rustle above her as Natsume climbed down to sit beside her. She knew he was looking at her and she didn't mind.

"Man I hate Ruka." He said casually, his head leaning back to rest against the tree. Mikan finally looked up at him.

"Why?"

"Because he stole my chance to comfort you after breakfast this morning."

"Comfort me? Why would you do that?" She asked, blinking at him.

"You say you were already dressed like that," He said, ignoring her question. He turned his face towards her and locked their eyes together.

"Was that a lie?"

"Maybe"

"Then why did you dress up if you were just meeting up with me?"

"I don't know, Natsume, I just did okay!"

"Were you expecting something to happen?" Mikan felt the blood rush to her cheeks.

"I never said that."

"I know, that's why I'm asking." She could feel him leaning closer, feel his heat radiating off him.

"Maybe." She whispered.

"What did you think was going to happen?" He was really getting on her nerves now and he knew it. She couldn't take it anymore.

"I wanted you to kiss me okay? Is that really so much of a crime?!" He smiled devilishly and leaned his forehead against her's. Her eyes widened as his breath tickled her nose and her cheeks.

"If it is, it's a crime I'm willing to commit." He murmured, staring into her eyes as he lifted his hand up to brush her hair.

"Mikan," He whispered. "I love you."

It all happened so fast. He leaned in and closed the final few centimetres with a kiss, his mouth locking against her's. And she kissed him back passionately, feeling a weight lift off her shoulders as her hand slid up to slip into his raven locks. She pulled him closer, as close as the laws of physics would allow and eventually broke away to breathe. Resting her forehead against his once again, she watched his eyes. His cheeks had a small blush to them and she smiled.

"How does it feel to commit a crime?" He asked her, smiling back.

"Totally worth it. Besides, you taste like howalon" She giggled. Giving her another small kiss, he muttered something for the second time that night.

"I love you." And she answered. Not because she felt obliged but because it was the truth. Resting her head against his chest, she giggled happily.

"I love you too."


	2. Natsume: You Taste Like Howalon

Natsume

"Quit breathing down my neck, Polka-dots, and tell me what you want," I snapped, tired of Mikan's bony chin resting on my shoulder, though she didn't smell terrible at least. "Will you puh-LEASEEEEEEE come to Central Town with me?" she begged, attempting puppy-dog eyes but failing miserably. "Yeah, whatever," I replied, more pleased with the offer than I'd ever let on. "Meet me at the bus stop in 30 minutes or I'll buy an entire box of howalon and stuff it down my throat in front of you."

"You wouldn't!" She gasped, looking genuinely shocked. I rolled my eyes. "I'll burn them, if that's what you want. Now better go get your little girly stuff ready before I leave without you." I snatched a manga out of Ruka's hand, whispered "Sorry," and continued to exit the building. He stared after me, baffled, but eventually shrugged and continued his walk.

An ear-grating, yet pleasant voice jerked me awake God knows how long after that. "Get that Manga off your face and get on the bus with me!" Mikan hissed, grabbing my hand and dragging me to the bus before I could even pick up Ruka's book. I apologized to him mentally, and all guilt floated out the window.

Groggily, I turned to Mikan on the bus. "Why did you want to come to Central Town so badly?" I muttered, rubbing my eyes. She merely blinked at me. "Howalon, of course! I got my allowance, and Ruka-pyon gave me money, so-" I grunted. "Ruka GAVE you money? Chump." I barked, feeling I had to defend myself in some way, though I'm pretty sure I ended up making myself look worse. "Hey! Ruka-pyon was very kind to give this money to me! Don't be so stuck-up," she chided, pushing me lightly in the elbow. I sighed and looked out the window. Ruka was, of course, my best friend, but these not-so-subtle hints had better knock it off before I stop them dead in their tracks. Mikan sensed my unease, clearly, as she cocked her head almost crazily and stared at me. "So what will you buy in Central Town?" she asked excitedly, the pure joy emitting from her almost causing the space-time-continuum to rip due to it's magnitude. "Um, I don't know. One of those chicken cookies, maybe?" I grumbled, devising plans of different ways to burn Ruka.

The bus pulled into the station a few minutes later, Mikan's giddy face pressed against the glass sliding doors before they even opened. I grabbed the top of her head and steered her to a stop. "Whoa, pony. Settle down." she had been running to greet Hotaru, who was walking along the street with Class Rep. "You asked me to come with you, not me to come with you and Hotaru and Class Rep." she huffed. "Fine. Where is the howalon stand?" I jerked my head toward it, putting my hands in my pockets casually as she raced toward the stand with what I swear was hearts and rainbows flying from her feet.

"Two packets please!" I heard her announce, my interest piqued. She skipped over moments later with two packages. "One for me, one for you!" she grinned, popping the fluffy ball into her mouth. I glanced at the box nervously. "You got one for me?" I asked stupidly, snatching the box from her abruptly and glancing inside. She nodded, rather confused. "Well, yeah! Why do you think I wanted you to come with me, silly!" she giggled, watching as I pulled the ribbon delicately from the box. "Uh-huh…" I mumbled, putting the box in my bag and walking the other direction. She called after me. "Natsume-kun! Why are you leaving without even eating one?" I shrugged and turned around. "I'm going to buy Ruka another manga since you made me leave his on the muddy sidewalk." I may not be happy with him at the moment, but I'm not so cruel to him as to leave his manga on the sidewalk. I would, however, gladly burn him. Our relationship is complicated.

Mikan huffed angrily and stomped her foot, but followed me anyways. I turned around and brushed a cherry blossom from her hair. She blushed lightly. "What was that about?" she demanded, walking alongside me into the store as if we were on parallel tracks. "You had a blossom in your hair and it was bothering me. There is no deeper meaning to flicking a blossom from someone's hair." I muttered, flipping through manga and cringing at some of the cheesy storylines.

"Yeah, well, most guys don't just randomly touch other girls' hair!" she retorted, crossing her arms. I rolled my eyes and stood up with a manga retelling the story of Snow White. I thought Ruka would just love that. Mikan looked down at the manga. "Snow White? Natsume, that's-" I ignored her, slapping a few rabbits on the counter and glancing at her. "For the record, you need to shower. Your hair was greasy." It actually wasn't. I just wanted her to shut up about the manga. She shut up about that, but not in general. "HEY! That's also not something you're supposed to do to a girl," she whined, throwing her head back in defeat. I shrugged and walked to a Sakura tree in the far corner of Central Town, flopping down and motioning for her to shoo. "Whaaaaa!" she gaped, clearly pissed I wasn't offering her a seat next to me. "Hey. I went to Central Town with you. Now scram." she wasn't going to give up that soon, which some stupid part of me was thankful for. "No way! The entire point of coming here was for us to share howalon!" I grunted. "And why is this so special to you?"

"Well, Hotaru mentioned once that best friends buy boxes for one another and eat from the other's box! It's supposed to be a sign of friendship!"

Friendship? God, this girl was clueless. Which was a blessing under most circumstances. "And we were merely acquaintances thus far?" I muttered, presenting the box of howalon from my bag and glaring up at her. She rubbed the back of her neck nervously. "Uhhh, no… I just thought it'd be a nice thing to do for you, Mr. Grouchy-pants!" I shrugged, grabbing her box of howalon. "So why give one box to the other when you just end up eating the other person's anyways? Why not just cut out the middleman and eat the boxes you got in the first place?" She crossed her arms. "It's not the point! It's supposed to be… Ugh! Nevermind, you don't understand this stuff." I felt as if a fist had hit me in the chest. I allowed my baffled look to show on my face. Oops.

"...What, Natsume?" she asked, a concerned look crossing her face and furrowing her eyebrows. I shook my head. "Nothing. Are you gonna eat from my box or what, idiot," I snapped, wishing I hadn't the second afterward. I'd never admit it, of course, so don't expect me to.

"I already did…" she said cautiously, eying me uneasily. I blinked. Apparently I'd been too caught up in my thoughts to notice. "Um… Okay. So that's over." I threw the box of howalon into my bag and stared out into the distance. She sat next to me, fidgeting. After a few minutes of her uneasy movements, I whirled to face her. "Can you sit still, dammit?" I hissed, to her intense anger. "I can, you jerk! Can you be nice for a minute?"

"Can you shut up for a minute?"

"...Can YOU shut up for a minute, though?"

I stared at her and smirked. "You can't do comebacks, unfortunately." She shifted again, her brown hair falling over her shoulders in pigtails. "You've got some fluff on your lips or something," I stated, pointing at her face. She wiped it with the back of her hand, but either missed somehow or it was hopelessly stuck. "It's still there," I said, leaning closer to figure out what it was.

It was leftover Howalon.

Hmm.

"Hey, Mikan, look at that!" I jerked my head behind me, and as she turned her head I locked lips with hers, explaining this fiasco to myself as an attempt to get the howalon off her lips to prevent her own embarrassment.

Of course, this was not the reason, but 99% of me screamed that my reason was stupid and therefore I had to devise an excuse. It was a damn good excuse.

She pulled away after a few blissful moments, and I licked the howalon from my lips and smiled mischievously. "I think someone needs to look into marketing me as a cleaning product," I said, slinging my bag over my shoulder and waltzing away without saying another word. She gawked after me, baffled. I jerked my head toward a lake and muttered something about looking at her reflection to see how stupid it was, but I'm not even sure it ever escaped from my lips.

Unfortunately, I had to ride on the bus back to the Elementary Division with her. She fidgeted in her seat, a blush permanent on her cheeks. I finally flicked her ear, which pissed her off so bad she finally turned to me. "What do you want, pervert," she spat, which only made me grin. "Hmm. If I'm just such a pervert, then why are you blushing like that, pervert woman," I retorted, turning my face toward the window and attempting to mask the oncoming laughter. Mt. Mikan was about to blow. "Uggggh, Natsume!" she whined, shaking my shoulders. "Why did you have to kiss me! Nobody will marry me now because I'm not innocent and pure anymore!" I rolled my eyes, standing up as the bus skidded to a stop. "I can probably take care of that problem for you…" I muttered under my breath, but regardless of the quiet tone she heard. "Wha?" she gaped stupidly. I flicked her in the forehead. "Love you, stupid girl." I said reluctantly, stepping off the bus in a hurry and attempting to stride into the building without saying another word to her. Unfortunately, she caught up with me. She placed a howalon in my palm, smiling. "I love you too. Or… Uh… Something like that." I raised an eyebrow. "This is an extremely impromptu confession, Polka-dots," I muttered, squeezing the howalon in my fist. She gasped in horror but stared at me regardless.

"Well, the whole howalon thing is for friends, right?" I said slowly, in the hopes she'd understand. She nodded. "So that's all you ever refer to us as unless I say otherwise, okay?" I sniffed, shoving my hands in my pockets and walking the other direction. I popped the squeezed howalon into my mouth, since she couldn't see, then on an impulse turned around. "Oh, and Mikan?" I called after her, grinning. She looked back at me. "Just saying, you taste like howalon. Might wanna get that checked out or something." I ran away, oblivious to her cries of anger and protest, because boy did I have something to shove into Ruka's face.

The manga, of course.

I'd never tell him what happened.

Idiot.


	3. Mikan: Just Hold Me

Mikan

A new day started at Alice Academy as the sun beat down relentlessly on every part of the large academy; from the elementary branch to the high school branch, every inch was covered in sun.

Yawning, Sakura Mikan sat up in her bed and looked around, blinking her eyes several times to clear the sleep.

She stretched her arms above her head and looked at the clock on her bedside table. Her eyes grew wide and she all but fell out of her bed, tripping on her sheets.

"It's nine fifteen!" She squealed. Class started in fifteen minutes! She raced to her drawers, yanked open the bottom one and grabbed her school uniform. Once she'd pulled it on, she hurriedly brushed her hair and tied it back into pigtails, a look she'd had since forever.

Opening the door, she ran straight into Natsume.

"Hi, babe." He smiled, kissing her cheek. She didn't have time for this. She grabbed his hand and dragged them down the stairs.

"Sorry but we're going to be late!" She pulled him down the halls of the high school branch and into their classroom. Looking at the clock, she realized she had five minutes to spare.

"Made it!" She declared, a little out of breath. They sat down at their desk and Mikan left her hands in his.

"Sorry I didn't really say good morning. I was scared we were going to be late." She smiled, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"It's okay, you've always been one to sleep in. Rather, I expected it." She turned her head up to look at him and pouted.

"Meanie." He looked down at her and smiled. "Don't pout, darling." He said, leaning down to give her a short sweet kiss.

"Uh, really? You two are just so lovey-dovey so early in the morning." They looked up to see Ruka and Hotaru sit in front of them. Mikan giggled and wrapped an arm around Natsume's shoulder.

"Why is that so bad? You two aren't that far off our level." She smiled. Ruka and Hotaru looked at each other and Ruka blushed, shaking his head.

"No, we're way off from your level. You guys are all over each other twenty-four-seven." He pointed out.

"No we're not." Natsume countered.

"Fine, take your hands off each other and don't touch each other all through this class."

"Deal."

"Wait, wait, wait. I get a kiss first if we're accepting this." Mikan put her hands up. Ruka shrugged.

"Fine, hurry up." Mikan smiled triumphantly and wrapped her arms around Natsume's neck, pulling him towards her and locking her lips with his. It lasted for a few blissful moments before Ruka cleared his throat and Mikan reluctantly pulled away.

"Let the challenge begin love birds." Ruka smiled and turned back in his seat. Secretly, whilst looking away from each other, Natsume and Mikan touched their thighs together. Surely he wouldn't notice that. But not a moment later, Ruka turned around and glared at them. Mikan raised her hands protectively.

"Class hasn't started," She stated. "Not until the teacher gets here." Ruka sighed.

"Fine." He muttered, turning back to face the board. Mikan and Natsume looked at each other and grinned, their legs no longer touching.

"Actually, Ruka," Mikan said, tapping his back. "What's in it for us?" She asked smiling. Ruka thought about it and a light bulb seemed to click in his head.

"I'll buy you ten boxes of howalon."

"Deal!" Mikan nearly screamed. Ruka smiled and Natsume snickered.

"Mikan, you're so cheap, we could've got something more, I don't know, useful." Natsume said, leaning back in his side of the seat. Mikan swung her head around and poked her tongue out at him, raising her hand to bat at his chest.

"Uh, uh," Natsume said, even though his eyes were closed. "You'll lose you howalon, princess."

And with that, Mikan's hand fell to her side almost immediately.

"Meanies." She pouted as the teacher walked into the room.

The deal was on.

As hard as it was, Mikan managed to keep her hands off Natsume and as promised, Ruka delivered ten boxes of howalon later that afternoon.

"Thanks, Ruka." She smiled, shutting the door behind him. As she set the howalon down on her dresser, she looked at her clock. Five minutes till dinner.

"May as well go now." She said, changing out of her school uniform and putting on a pair of black jeans and a pink halter top, letting her hair loose. She opened her door and made her way down to the dining hall where she sat beside Hotaru.

"Looks like there might be a thunderstorm tonight." Hotaru said halfway through dinner.

This piqued Mikan's interest. Natsume hated thunderstorms. Giggling to herself, the rest of her friends watched her curiously.

"What's wrong, Mikan?" Ruka asked and Mikan waved it away.

"Nothing, nothing."

Finishing her dinner took longer than expected as she got caught up talking to everyone for so long that by the time she was done, the sky was dark and the storm was rolling in as Hotaru had mentioned earlier. Once she'd locked her bedroom door, Mikan changed into her nightgown and walked over to her sliding door that led out onto the balcony. She clicked the lock and left the curtains open, hopping into her bed.

The thunder cackled and lightning flew across the sky as Mikan tried to get to sleep. But just before she drifted off to sleep, she heard her sliding door open. I knew it. Instead of locking the sliding door that night, she had actually unlocked it, allowing the figure that now stood in her room a way to get in. Opening her eyes, she stretched her hands out and smiled at the figure.

"Come here." She whispered. Natsume made his way to her bed, kicked off his shoes and took of his shirt that was drenched before slipping in beside her, holding her tightly in the barricade of his arms.

"You are such a scaredy cat." Mikan giggled, kissing his hair.

"This is the one thing I can't stand, you have plenty." He replied, looking at her with scared eyes.

She gave him a soft smile and kissed his nose.

"Well then, what can I do for you?" She asked, pressing her forehead against his.

"Just hold me." He whispered. Giving him a small yet loving kiss, Mikan wrapped her arms around his waist and held him close to her.

"I love you." She murmured against his hair.

"I love you too."


	4. Natsume: Just Hold Me

Natsume

How the girl gets me to do this stuff with her, I have no idea.

Well, I have an idea.

Lemme restart;

How the girl gets me to do this stuff with her, I have no idea that I'm willing to accept.

There.

The sun shone on the morning dew, several birds passing by and a cheerful fawn casually strolling amongst the early risers (Who were mostly just the kids who had to do extra work anyways.) which I guessed was due to Ruka's constant presence in this general area. Luckily, he was sleeping his life away.

I held my hand out to catch one of the yellow-orange rays, grinning slightly, as the sun reminds me of her for some reason.

Of course she still hasn't shown up. I brushed my black hair from my face and walked up the steps into the dorms, pushing open her door without even knocking first. She was sleeping soundly, sprawled over the top of her sheets rather than under them. I walked over and noticed her hair in braids, carefully taking the ties out so as to not wake her up.

Unfortunately I did anyways.

"WHA!" She cried, pulling the sheets up to her (nonexistent) chest and blushing. "You don't spy on girls while they're sleeping!" I shrugged, dropping the hairtie on the floor and sitting on a stool with my legs spread and elbows on my knees. "Well, get ready, you sleepyhead. You're late." she looked at her clock and gasped, scrambling for her dresser and pulling out her school uniform. I gave her my best Are you stupid? look and narrowed my eyes. "You do realize it's the break."

"Yeah…"

"So you don't have to wear a uniform."

She stared at me.

"Ohhhhhhhh." I rolled my eyes.

She instead pulled out a tanktop with a silver butterfly pattern, a light blue skirt, and boots reaching the bottom of her knees. She whirled around and glared at me suspiciously. "Turn around, pervert." I threw my hands in the air and turned around, laughing silently. "It's not like there's much to see," I teased, crying out when an orange hit my head. "Shut up, jerk!"

After a few minutes of her grumbling, she said I could turn around. I hadn't seen her in much but the costumes she wore for events, so I nodded curtly and shuffled from the room before any admiration I had for her became obvious.

We eventually sat down on a bench in the park, Mikan shivering from the low temperature there tended to be at this early of an hour. I huffed, stripping my jacket off and throwing it clumsily over her shoulders. She gawked at me, I simply turned the other direction. "Why did you make me come out here at an early hour on break?" I grumbled, fingering her alice stone in my pocket. "Well, I do this with lots of my friends! I've come with Hotaru, Class Rep, Ruka-pyon-" I noticed my free hand catch fire for a moment, much to her dismay. "H-hey! Keep that thing under control!" I snorted. "So I'm your last choice, hmm?" she fidgeted in her seat. "Um… Best for last?" she attempted, the unease on her face speaking louder than words. I didn't say anything, just looked out in front of me. I wondered if I'd maybe had too much coffee this morning. My heart was pounding like nuts. "Ah…" I mumbled stupidly, looking at the ground. She turned to me. I could tell she'd been nervous ever since I kissed her at the dance, but her arguing about the accidental kiss had been pissing me off.

Or something.

Anyways, I was being an idiot.

"So, you and Ruka an item yet?" I asked, crossing my legs and leaning back onto my hands. She blushed wildly. "N-no! I don't like him that way!" I shrugged, looking at the sky. "Well, almost everyone but you at least is in love with someone. Do you play the hard-to-get card or something?" I teased, ignoring the fact I'd pretty much played that card all my life. Mikan crossed her arms. "Well, what about you?"

I shrugged, shifting my gaze to match hers. "I have my eyes on someone, don't worry. You're ignoring my question. Who do you like?" I grinned at the flustered look on her face. "Wh-wha… I…" She narrowed her eyes. "You think I like you, don't you!" she accused, pointing at me. I bit the tip of her finger and shrugged. She cried out and embraced her finger. "As if I'd like a pervert like you! I'd rather go out with Ruka-pyon!"

"Fine!" I snapped, throwing her alice stone on the bench and stomping away, turning around. "Like I'd ever be in love with you, stupid girl," I spat, trying to ignore the feeling that I'd been stabbed in the chest and the tears pricking my eyes. She probably noticed my forlorn look regardless, as I saw her eyes soften but harden once more quickly.

If we ever crossed paths the rest of the day, we'd just turn away from the other nervously. Ruka kept asking me what was wrong, but I ignored him and changed the subject.

It was when she passed me later that evening that I grabbed her arm. "Mikan," I said gently, the use of her name causing her to slowly turn around. "What, Natsume," she said harshly, and I cringed. "Look, I don't know why we got so mad this morning, but…" I faltered, looking at the ground. She shifted her weight. " … Follow me." she said abruptly, grabbing my wrist and leading me to her room. She sat her sack down on the floor and flopped on her sofa, letting out a deep sigh. She pulled her hair from her ties and allowed the brown locks to fall over her shoulders, something I'd never known the girl to think of doing in front of nearly anyone in her life. I raised an eyebrow as she turned to me.

"Well, stop gawking, you idiot! I'm putting my hair up in braids, I'll have you know," she muttered, grabbing a tie and holding it between her fingers. I leaned on her dresser, watching her delicate hand movements as she twisted and twirled her hair into a perfect braid. "Well, you girls are good for something. I've never seen someone work so intricately before," I admitted, studying my fingernails nonchalantly. She blushed. "Thanks. I taught myself, since Hotaru-chan's hair is impossible to braid, of course." I snorted at the thought of braiding Hotaru's hair. "So, you're not mad at me anymore?" Mikan ventured, looking at me nervously as she tied the last bow into her hair. I shrugged. "You're still an idiot, but I suppose I forgive you. So, I-" I faltered, swearing I saw the wild-haired figure of Persona through the window. I stumbled backward, flopping onto the sofa in exhaustion and covering my scarred face with my hands. Mikan sat down gently next to me, stroking my back gently. I didn't jerk away, for once, and I'll admit it felt alright.

Well, I didn't admit it. I thought it.

Different things.

I leaned against her heart, letting out a breath I'd been holding since the day she'd saved me from killing myself just for some damn mission the Academy sent me on.

"Natsume?" she asked, letting go. I wrapped my arms around her waist and sighed. "Just hold me, you idiot. Can you do something as simple as that or do I need to always explain myself?" I heard her lips part to retort, but she apparently thought better of it.

The next thing I remembered, daylight was peeking through the windows. I slipped from her embrace and kissed her softly on the lips, exiting her room with a triumphant air, as she would never know. Someone tapped me on the shoulder.

Hotaru-chan.

With a camera.

Crud.

Let's just say the elementary division learned a few new curse words that day.


End file.
